Lost
by Linwe Seregon
Summary: A little girl gets lost in the woods. Will her family find her before the Orcs do?


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**Author: Linwë Serégon**

**Title: Lost**

**Canon: LOTR pre trilogy.**

**Reviews: Yes please!**

**Rating: G – also rated C for cuddles.**

**Disclaimer: it ain't mine, I'm just borrowing it. Don't bother suing, all I've got is my _Next Gen_ DVDs.**

**Languages: One Elvish word, _tinw_, meaning 'little star.'**

**Summary: A little girl gets lost in the woods and is found by a strange person who turns out to be an old friend.******

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**Lost**

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She'd really done it now. Not only had the door slammed, which caused the table to wobble, which made the vase fall of onto the floor and smash, but Daddy had shouted at her, and she'd shouted back, then she'd run out of the room into the woods. Now she was lost, not just a little bit but really- _really lost. And nobody would come looking for her because nobody loved her._

Daddy was always busy in his office, doing _things._

Mummy was visiting Nanny, and wouldn't even know she'd gone.

As for her brothers, she hated them. Just because she was the youngest didn't mean that they had to be horrid to her _all_ the time.

She hugged Lenwë, her doll, to her chest, stroking her hair. If her brothers hadn't been so cruel to Lenwë this all wouldn't ever have happened. They had stolen Lenwë and threatened to cut her hair. That wasn't fair because _everybody know if you cut a dolly's hair it wouldn't ever grow back again._

Suddenly there a noise in the woods. She pushed herself further back into the bush she was sitting under. Maybe it was the _Orc; _she'd heard Mummy and Daddy talking aboutthe_ Orc. The boys had told her one night that the _Orc _ate naughty children. She shivered. She didn't know what it was, but she really hoped that the noise wasn't it._

She hugged Lenwë close, whispering, 'Don't worry I'll protect you.' It was starting to get dark. That meant that she had missed her dinner and her tea, her tummy rumbled. And no one had come to look for her. Her eyes began to fill with tears. 'Cry baby, cry baby bunting,' that was what her brothers called her when she cried at home. She choked back a sob. 

'I hope the _Orc_ didn't hear me, Lenwë. Can you still hear it?'

She peered out of the bush. It all seemed quiet, then leaning a little further forward she saw it. Well maybe it was the _Orc _but it looked like an old man, all dressed in grey with a beard and a smile on his face.

'Hello, little one. What are you doing out here all by yourself?'

'I'm hiding!' she replied.

'Yes you are indeed, in fact you are so covered in leaves that I thought you to be an Ent,' the _Orc _exclaimed as she crawled from her hiding place. The _Orc _was huge, much bigger than Daddy and it had a funny hat, all grey and floppy. She peered up at the _Orc. _Its face looked nice, all smiley.

'Excuse me, but are you the _Orc_? Daddy says that they hide in the woods and eat naughty children. Are you going to eat me? I'm not really that naughty.'

The _Orc _burst out laughing, throwing his back in delight. How rude, she'd only asked him a question. After a few minutes of her glaring hard the Orcmanaged to stop laughing, wiping tears from his eyes he sunk down to sit on a log which was lying on the forest floor.

'No child, I am not the Orc, and no I won't eat you,' it replied.

'Do you promise?' she asked.

'Yes, I promise.'

'Cross your heart,' she pleaded.

'Cross my heart,' the not orc said, solemnly crossing its heart.

She stood and thought for a minute.

'You're not a _strange person_ are you? Daddy says that I mustn't talk to _strange persons._'

The not orc smiled, 'I'm sure your Daddy thinks I'm very strange. But no, I'm not that sort of strange person.'

She took a step towards the strange person.

'I'm hungry!' she stated.

'Are you indeed? Well best you sit down and I'll see what I've got in my bag.'

He patted the log beside him. Giving him her very Special Look she sat down, putting Lenwë between them.

'I'm afraid all I've got is some lembas and water. Do you like lembas?' he asked.

She nodded. They _never_ had lembas at home. Mummy had bought some home the last time she had visited Nanny. They were all allowed a tiny bit each and that was _ages_ ago.

The strange person broke off an enormous piece of lembas and gave it to her. He then broke off a much smaller bit which he gave to Lenwë.

'Just in case she's hungry too,' he said.

Soon the three of them were happily sitting munching on lembas and taking sips of water.

'I like you, strange person,' she said.

'Oh, that is so kind.' He bowed to her. 'I am truly honoured.' His face was serious but his eyes were smiling. 'Now tell me, my small friend, what were you and Lenwë doing hiding? Your parents will be worried.'

'No they won't. They don't love me. They only love the boys 'cos they can ride and swim and all that stuff. I just break things and get in the way.' She felt her eyes beginning to fill with tears again, so she wiped her nose on the back of hand.

'Blow,' the strange person said handing her a hanky. She blew but that made it seem worse. She began to sob.

The strange person picked her up onto his lap and gently cuddled her. He smelt nice, all woody and smokey, a bit like Daddy but not the same. The hair on his chin was smooth, not at all itchy, and she wound her fingers into it. It was nice to snuggle up against. The strange person stroked her hair, gently removing the leaves and other debris while all the time quietly humming to her. She sobbed her woes into his chest until all that was left were dry hiccups.

'Better?' he asked.

She nodded yes.

'Now what is this about your parents not loving you? I'm sure they do really,' he said.

'No they don't.' She pouted. 'Daddy is always busy doing _things in his office, and I'm not allowed to touch any of it. Mummy is _always _with Nanny and the boys are horrible to me _all_ the time. They tried to cut Lenwë's hair and when I went to tell Daddy the vase got broken and then he shouted at me and I shouted back and then I ran away.'_

'Oh,' said the strange person, 'And where are you running to?'

'I don't know,' she replied. 'I'm lost.'

'If you run away, you'll miss the picnic won't you?'

'Yes.'

'And the new pony that Daddy promised you.'

'Yes.'

'And I'm sure that Mummy promised to take you to visit Nanny, didn't she?'

'I s'pose.'

'And the boys _did_ promise to teach you to swim this summer.'

She did not reply.

'What about the new book that you've just got?'

Silence.

'Do you remember last week when the boys helped you to rescue that bird with the hurt wing? You took it to Daddy and he stopped _everything to help you make it better.'_

She nodded.

'Didn't the boys climb right to the top of the peach tree to get you a lovely peach to give to Mummy?'

'Yes.'

'Do you think that they would do those things if they didn't love you?'

'No. But they haven't come looking for me.'

'But how do you know that?'

'Cos- cos I do.'

'Shall we go home?'

'Yes please.'

So the strange person took her small hand in his large one and they set off back through the woods towards home. 

After a little while she stopped.

'I'm tired, can I have a piggyback?'

The strange person looked at her quizzically.

'Please,' she begged. 'My legs are so tired and Lenwë's are even tireder.'

The strange person bent down for her to climb onto his back. Standing up she felt like she was in the sky, so high up, higher than Daddy. No, not higher than Daddy. When Daddy carried her on his shoulders she could reach the highest shelves at home, and if they went outside Daddy had to go along the Special Path so she didn't get caught in the branches of the trees.

The strange person set off again through the woods, moving faster now that the girl's short legs didn't slow him and softly humming to himself as he strode along.

The humming was nice, not nice like when they all sung together, but nice. It made her think of the warm summer, and laying on the grass with Mummy making daisy chains and Daddy and the boys splashing cold water all over them from the lake. She smiled as she remembered the summer. It had been nice. The boys had given her Lenwë for her birthing day present then as well. 

She was beginning to get sleepy. She wonder if the strange person would mind if she had a nap, she had missed her nap today.

The strange person felt his small burden begin to relax into sleep. Gently he moved her around to the front, cradling her against his body.

'Soon be home now, soon be home,' he whispered.

He stepped into a clearing.

'Have you seen her? She ran out of the house after some silly row and now I can't find her! Her mother will _kill_ me! I _told her I'd look after her! Even the boys are out looking for her!' said the tall Elf standing in the clearing. He looked frantic, his normally well-groomed hair caught with twigs and leaves where he had been searching. The knees of his trousers were grass-stained and the richly embroidered tunic torn in several places. _

'Easy friend, easy,' said the strange person. 'I've found her, hiding in the woods.' 

'Thank the Valar! What would I do if I lost my little _tinw?' He took the sleeping child, who stirred and opened her eyes._

'Hello Daddy.'

'Hello _tinw_, have you been having an adventure with Mithrandir?'

Her eyes flew wide.

'Is _that_ Mithrandir? But he gave me a piggy back, _and_ some lembas.'

The Elf laughed.

'Yes, that is Mithrandir, and he is well known to give _presents to people he finds.'_

'But he said that you thought he was strange Daddy. Why is he strange?' she asked.

Mithrandir raised an eyebrow in amusement.

'Out of the mouths of children and babes, my friend!'

'He's not strange my darling, just different. Are you still hungry?'

She nodded.

'Good. You're just in time for tea. Mummy's home and she's bought us all a special surprise.' He turned to Mithrandir. 'Will you join us for our special tea, Grey Pilgrim? I'm sure there's enough for one more.'

'Of course I will, Elrond, it's always a pleasure to eat with you and your family. How are Elladan and Elrohir?'

'Smarting. It was them that started this all off, teasing her and taking her doll. Do you know they threatened to cut its hair? I don't know where they get it from,' he replied

'Don't you, my old friend? I seem to remember a rather obnoxious young elf once threatening something similar.'

The Elf Lord blushed, 'Well, yes, I suppose. Anyway I gave the pair of them a good tanning. They'll remember to be nicer to their little sister every time they sit down for a bit.'

They walked back through the valley of Imladris, the two men talking companionably and the little one happy to be carried in the strong secure arms of her father, safe after her adventure.

Suddenly she lifted her small head from his shoulder, her face framed with a mantle of dark hair, promising beauty to come.

'I _do_ love you Daddy, even when you shout at me. _And_ I love Mummy, _and Elladan and Elrohir.'_

'Good, because we all love you too, Arwen.'

'You know what else, Daddy?

'What's that, _tinw_?'

She leaned close to his ear to whisper conspiratorially.

'I think I love Mithrandir, too.'

The End


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